The history of labour, resources, money and the value assigned to them.
freelance (adj.)
Collection
Work and Worth
A freelance worker takes on work without a lasting commitment to one employer. The word first named a hired warrior. The lance was a weapon, and its bearer could offer his service to whoever would pay. 1
The word appeared in the early nineteenth century. Merriam-Webster’s earliest written evidence comes from Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, where a lord speaks of his “Free Lances” after offering their services to Richard. Scott was writing about medieval life long after the period itself. 1
The expression widened to include politicians who belonged to no party and people who worked independently. By the late nineteenth century it was being applied to journalism. The modern adjective keeps the idea of offering a skill without committing to a single employer. 12
She works as a freelance editor.